I just finished the first round of edits for my next book, due to publish next Spring! I am so excited to share more about it with you all soon. For now, just know it will be a resource I really needed but couldn’t find! One that helps mothers navigate the world’s pressures alongside their tween daughters (like Sephora trends, body image and dieting, social media, etc) through a Biblical lens. As I write the book, I can’t help but praise God for the work he is doing in and through me in these areas too.
One of the chapters I just finished is based on Tim Keller’s book The Art of Self Forgetfulness. I read it last year and it completely changed the way I view on people pleasing, self confidence and humility. If you were to ask me, I believe the biggest threat to the next generation is the obsession with SELF.
Our world is especially telling our girls right now to:
Be pretty! 💋
Go viral! 📺
Get attention! 💁🏻♀️
You do you! 💅🏼
Selfie! 🤳🏽
It may feel at times both exhausting and impossible to help her forget herself. Everywhere we turn it seems, there is parenting advice offering ways to boost your kids confidence or to help them achieve or succeed at the next big thing.
It’s a commitment we must make to lead our girls in ways that encourage SELFLESSNESS.
It isn’t always easy. She won’t always like it. The world is loud around the narrative that this generation needs to express, actualize, discover, obsess over, criticize and improve the self self self. But that’s how we know this its needed now more than perhaps, ever before.
So what can we do? One of the greatest impacts we can make within our home is to create a culture of service. Some girls have a natural bend towards serving others. They spot a need and are first to take action and to help. They are independent and self motivated to do so.
But others, it doesn’t come as easy.
They need to be trained to give. To serve. To consider and notice others. To stop looking at themselves or thinking only of themselves, and to do their part to contribute.
Sometimes it’s the mundane tasks around the house that shift their hearts most; helping a sibling, cleaning an area of the house, a simple chore that is valuable to the entire family. It reminds her she isn’t a team of ONE, but a needed player in the team of many— her family. This is our first discipleship, and it eventually spills out into the world.
Or maybe it’s something outside the home. Helping a neighbor. Serving at church. Caring for an elder. Writing a thoughtful card to a friend. Thinking of another person and showing up for them, even in the smallest of ways— gets her OFF herself.
You know what has happened since I have committed to this culture of service and helping my girls “forget” themselves? It reminds me I’m not the most important person either. That the world doesn’t revolve around me. That my pity party of 1 is a waste of precious time and energy. Looking out for others, considering them and their needs, well it gets me off myself too.
It’s a gift to help our girls know and live like they aren’t the center of the universe. It takes a huge burden off of them. It is a lot to carry when you think life is all about you. What a blessing it is to know we are all here for something bigger. We are wired by God to love Him and others… the daily practice then is to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and to follow and live like Jesus.
He is the one that said “I came to serve, not to be served.” (Matt. 20:28)
What does that look like for you today? What about your children?
As we prepare for the transition into summer, I hope you will consider more than just camps and vacation. Think about how you and your family can serve someone outside the home. Is there a service project you can commit to? A mission trip? Is there a neighbor who could use your help around the house or yard? How can you create a culture of service that over time, will take the focus and priority off just your family, and onto the community around you?
My next email will come out in the Fall will several exciting announcements. For now, I wanted to share a book and author I have been loving, some free resources and a favorite item below.
- What I am listening to this week: This Calm Parenting episode for Summer Sanity
- What I am reading this week: I have been captivated by this perspective on the Eucharist (and am on my third book of Scott Hahn’s!)
- A favorite this week: my new favorite tinted face sunscreen… worth the price tag!
Looking for some encouraging tools to use this summer? Below you will a link to my collection of free, faith‑inspired guides and resources that I created to help women find their identity, communicate more effectively, and practice boundaries based in clarity, confidence, and Christ-centered values.
How These Tools Help
- Anchor identity in Christ: Build spiritual clarity and value-driven action that free you from comparison and people‑pleasing.
- Strengthen communication and boundaries: Learn how to say no, ask for help, and express yourself with calm confidence.
- Create space for reflection and restoration: Tap into daily rhythms of reflection, peace, and spiritual growth.
- Protect digital well‑being: Use boundaries to engage media thoughtfully, limit overexposure, and maintain emotional balance.
These completely free resources are easily accessible: no cost, no paywall, no catch. Just provide your email address and you’ll be taken directly to the resource.
Join the thousands of women using these Christ-centered tools today—grow stronger in faith, more grounded in God’s truth, and empowered by His grace.
Take a look HERE.
Praying you have a safe and fun summer!
